


In the palm of your Hand

by WolfInAStar



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco as Violet Evergarden, Draco’s changed, Drarry, Fluff, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, Violet Evergarden imagine, mechanical hand, minor mention of traumatic events, please protect him, steampunk x dark academia vibes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29914497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfInAStar/pseuds/WolfInAStar
Summary: After being gone for months, Draco finally returns to finish his studies at Hogwarts and the arm in which the Dark Mark once rested is now gone, being replaced by a mechanical one.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	In the palm of your Hand

**Author's Note:**

> Please imagine:  
> Draco as Violet Evergarden.  
> (I’ve had the idea in my head for DAYS, so here you go!)

When Harry saw Draco for the first time after the war, it was an understatement to say that Harry was shocked.

Draco had gone to France after the war for a few months for unknown reasons, but had come back to finish his studies at Hogwarts.  
Harry was even more shocked to see that the arm in which once rested the Dark Mark was now gone, being replaced by a mechanical arm.

Draco had changed a lot in a span of a few months.  
He kept his head low and tried his hardest not to mess with anyone.

Harry's first reencounter with him was when he accidentally crashed against Draco.  
Harry was running late to class and Draco was just...standing there. He seemed like he was daydreaming and dazed, lost in his own world. A lot like Luna, if Harry could say so himself.

Draco was broken out of his trance and helped Harry to pick up his books, much to the latter's surprise.

-"Uh, thanks?"- Harry said, uncertainly. Draco looked at him for a moment before nodding in response, leaving Harry intrigued as to how a person could change so much in such a little time.

**~•~**

Harry unconsciously observed Draco that week. He realised that Draco wrote a lot in a notebook, but asides from that, the blonde didn't do much.  
He also saw other students hexing him, and he thought that Draco would defend himself or at least tell a professor, but Draco did nothing of the sort. He kept quiet and moved on with his day, much to Harry's irritation.

Draco could often be found alone in the library and after watching him the entire week, Harry decided to sit with him on Friday.

-"Is this seat taken?"- Harry asked, pointing at the seat in front of him. Draco looked up from his notebook to Harry and shook his head. Harry sat down and took out his things to work.  
Harry asked several trivial questions. Draco wouldn't exactly answer them, but he wasn't ignoring Harry either.

-"What are you doing?"- Draco blurted when Harry started talking about Quidditch.

-"What do you mean?"- Harry asked innocently.

-"Why are you talking to me?"- Harry shrugged.

-"I wanted to."- said Harry honestly. Draco stared at him for a long moment until he finally glanced back to his notebook and kept writing.

-"Okay then."-

The tiniest smile appeared on Draco’s face when Harry wasn’t looking.

**~•~**

It took Harry more than he expected for Draco to finally open up a bit towards him.

-"Bugger."- Harry muttered frustratedly. He was at the library with Draco as usual, but couldn't understand a single thing about his Potions’ essay.

Draco looked over.

-"What's wrong?"- He asked. Harry handed him the book.

-"This is not your book, it's Granger's."- Draco commented, observing the book carefully. Harry nodded.

-"It is. How'd you know?"-

-"The barrier is purple. Just like Granger's magic."- Draco muttered.

-"Care to elaborate?"- Draco sighed.

-"You know how muggles have auras? Well, we have magical barriers surrounding us. Every wizard's and witch's magic has a specific colour, most of the times said colour being the same as the light your wand gives off whenever you cast a spell. Granger's magic is a royal purple while yours is emerald green."- Draco explained.

-"And you can see everyone's magical barrier?"- Harry asked. Draco nodded.  
-"Since when?"-

But Draco couldn't answer that.

-"What did you need help with?"- Draco asked instead. Harry decided not to push it because this was the first time that Draco talked to him so much. Draco was a very good teacher, Harry realised, and before they both knew it, it was time for dinner.

-"Absolutely not."- Draco said firmly.

-"But why not?"- Harry whined.

-"Why won't I sit at the Gryffindor table with you? Gee, I wonder."- Draco said sarcastically.

Harry huffed.

-"Fine then."- He grabbed Draco's mechanical hand and guided him to the Slytherin table, much to everyone's surprise.

-"Grace us with your presence, Potter?"- Blaise asked amusedly. Harry grinned.

-"No, he's not. You're going back to your table."- Draco commanded. Harry laughed along with a couple of Slytherins.

-"Nope."-

Dinner started, and while the situation was soon forgotten because of the food, a tiny smile made its way to Draco’s face when he thought Harry wasn’t looking.  
Harry didn’t let go of his hand.

**~•~**

-"I just don't get why you wouldn't tell us about this."- Hermione insisted. Harry shrugged.

The trio was making their way to DADA and both, Ron and Hermione, had asked Harry about the whole Draco situation that had happened the day before.

-"It was more of...a personal project."-

-"What? Befriending Malfoy?"- Ron asked incredulously. Harry nodded.

-"I guess."-

This year, McGonagall was giving the class. She wanted to teach the students how to defeat Boggarts, but she gave them the benefit of volunteering because of everything that had happened.

Draco raised his hand and Harry raised a brow, watching the blonde intently.

-"Alright Draco, come up in here."- McGonagall encouraged. She had stopped calling him by his last name ever since the beginning of the year.  
Draco stood up and walked towards the locked wardrobe.

-"Are you absolutely sure about this?"- McGonagall asked. Draco nodded firmly. Despite his heart beating loudly and quickly, he knew perfectly well what his boggart would be.

McGonagall nodded and opened the wardrobe. Another version of him appeared before his eyes, only this version had both arms untouched, the Dark Mark still there.

-" _This is all your fault_."- said the boggart, gesturing at Draco's mechanical arm with his hands. Draco winced but didn't back down.

Instead, he grabbed his wand with his mechanical hand and casted firmly,  
-"Riddikulus."-  
A crack appeared on his other self's face.

-" _If you hadn't let them escaped, if you hadn’t given him your wand, none of this would've happened. You would be normal and you wouldn't see things, but most importantly, Mother would still be alive_."- the boggart said venomously.

-"Ridikkulus."- Draco casted unfazed. On the other hand, Harry, Ron, and Hermione felt sick. While another crack appeared in the arm where the Dark Mark was, all that Harry could think of was what exactly had happened to Draco.

-" _What are you doing, blood traitor?_ "-

-"Riddikulus."- the boggart started disappearing.

-" _You. Let. Her. Die. You filthy, little mudbl.._ "-

-" _RIDDIKULUS!_ "- A big crack was heard and the boggart disappeared.

Everyone stayed quiet before the Slytherins started applauding and cheering him on.

-"Excellent, Draco. 30 points to Slytherin."- Professor McGonagall told him half concerned, half proud, making Draco blush.

Watching him returning to his seat, Harry felt a mix of emotions but most of all, he felt an inexplicably big amount of pride for Draco.

Perhaps because Draco's worst fear was what he used to be, which could only mean that he was working on becoming a better version of himself.

**~•~**

Christmas holidays came sooner than he expected, and Harry was surprised to find out that Draco was staying at Hogwarts.

So he invited Draco to the Gryffindor common room.

-"Why am I here?"- Draco asked suspiciously.

-"Well, I reckon you can beat Ron here in Wizard's Chess but Ron said I'm delusional, so we made a bet."- Harry explained. Draco raised a brow.

-"What's the bet about?"- Ron smirked at the question.

-"Oh, you see...if you lose then Harry will.."-

-"OKAY! You're up for it, then? You can't really say no, you know."- Harry said, effectively interrupting Ron.

-"If I must."- Draco shrugged nonchalantly but on the inside, he was dying to know what the bet was.

Draco realised that he was bound to lose three movements ago.

-"Checkmate!"- Ron said brightly. Draco extended his hand.

-"Good game, Weasley."- He said, smiling a bit. Ron blushed and shook his hand.

-"You're not so bad yourself, Malfoy. Let's do it again some time."- Ron told him, earning a nod from Draco. Draco glanced at Harry and looked down.

-"I'm sorry I lost."- Harry waved his hand in dismissal.

-"Nah, don't worry about it."- Harry told him, making Draco look up at him again.

-"But, the bet.."-

-"It's not really as bad as you think."- Ron told him with a knowing smile. Draco looked at Ron in confusion but said nothing.

-"I should go, before curfew begins."- Draco told them.

-"Of course, we don't want you to get in trouble."- Hermione told him.

-"I'll take you!"- Harry offered. Draco didn't have time to protest because Harry was already grabbing his cloak, so Draco followed him.

-"Thank you."- Draco told him once they got to the entrance to the Slytherin common room.

-"Anytime."- Harry smiled, but Draco shook his head.

-"Not only for this, but..for everything. For being my friend."- Draco admitted. Harry's heartbeat increased and Harry couldn't understand why, so he smiled wider and nodded.

**~•~**

-"Where is he?"- Harry said. He had somehow managed to get into the Slytherin common room. Blaise looked at him knowingly.

-"Holidays will be hard for Draco from now on, Potter. Specially Christmas. Have you tried searching in the Shrieking Shack though?"- Harry basically ran to the Shrieking Shack and found Draco inside.  
Everything was dark, asides from the corporeal patronus of a doe that lit up the room, moving around the piano in which Draco was playing.

-"Draco?"- Harry called. Obviously, he wasn’t Malfoy, he was Draco now.

Draco stopped playing and looked up at Harry with tears in his eyes. Harry sat down beside him quietly.

-"Have I ever told you how I got my new arm?"- Draco asked as he started playing the piano again.

-"No."-

-"I threw you your wand at the war, remember?"- Harry did, so he nodded,  
-"Mother grabbed me immediately and we Apparated at the Manor. Death Eaters were waiting for us. One of them casted an Incendio towards me."- Harry wanted to vomit. Draco sighed,  
-"But mother was quicker, she put herself in front of me, protecting me from the curse. Still, the spell rebounded and it hit my arm in the process. I tried saving her but I...it was.."-

Harry told him put his hand on Draco's shoulder. Draco nodded at him.

-"You asked me before why I can see the magical barriers. Well, it was a "special" gift from the Dark Lord when I succeeded in letting the Death Eaters into Hogwarts. It's a wonderful ability, it really is. But I hate it. It reminds me of what I once was. Of what I will always be."-

-"Draco, look at me."- Draco did as told, his hands leaving the piano,  
-"You are not and you will never be what you once were."- Harry said fiercely.

-"How do you know?"- Draco whispered. Harry rested his forehead against Draco's.

-"Because I know you."- Harry whispered.

**~•~**

Harry James was a panicky mess.

-"I like Draco. By Merlin, I like Draco Malfoy."- Harry exclaimed frantically.

-"We heard you the first ten times, mate."- Ron groaned.

-"You should go find him."- Hermione encouraged. Harry stopped pacing around and nodded at Hermione, determination written in his eyes.

In his mind, Harry would enter into the Slytherin common room, find Draco and declare his affection towards him in a decent way....but he was Harry.  
So instead, Harry sneaked into the Slytherin common room clumsily and ended up crashing against Draco, knocking them both on the floor.

Being on top of him, Harry blushed horribly.

-"Sorry."- Harry said, letting out a nervous laugh but didn't move.

-"Uh, Harry?"- Before Harry could react, Draco gave him a small peck, eyes widening in horror because what if Harry didn't like him back? What if he had misinterpreted everything?

Harry shook his head in realisation.  
-"I like you too."- He blurted out before Draco could push him away,  
-"Merlin, I've liked you for months."-

Draco smirked.  
-"And what are you gonna do about it?"-

Harry realised that he really was in the palm of Draco’s hand, so he kissed him.

**~T H E E N D~**


End file.
